UPDATED: London terrorist identified as Muslim. Sorry, suckers!

Notice is hereby given to those who took Walt's bet, at 100-1 odds, that the terrorist who killed two and injured three others on London Bridge yesterday would not be a British-born white Christian (or Jew): YOU LOSE. Sorry (NOT). Walt's lifetime pct .977.

Late yesterday, Inspector Knacker of the Yard [in reality, Metropolitan Police Chief Dick... really. Ed.] said the attacker was Usman Khan, a 28-year-old who was released on probation last year after serving six years for terrorism offences.

Mr Khan is not related to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a peaceful, moderate Muslim. UPDATE ADDED at 0830. He is now identified as "British". His family is from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. He was convicted in 2012 of terrorism offences and released in December 2018 "on licence," which means he had to meet certain conditions or face reincarceration [not reincarnation. Ed.] The other Mr Khan -- the mayor -- says now that there should be an investigation regarding his -- the terrorist's -- early release from prison.

Several British media outlets reported that he was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. Basu said Khan was attending a London event hosted by Learning Together -- a Cambridge-based organization that works to educate prisoners -- when he launched the attack, killing a man and a woman and injuring three others.

None of the (((controlled media))) which Walt has checked so far have mentioned the religion or ethnicity of the late Usman Khan. Although his attack on innocent passers-by was quickly labelled "an act of terrorism", the word "Islamic" has yet to appear. Nor has anyone called Mr Khan a Muslim, even though that's what he was. Some of the lamestream media have not even shown his picture, although it has been available on Wikipedia since his 2012 conviction. No need to stoke the fires of Islamophobia, right?

Walt will refrain from saying "Told ya so!" But... those who have eyes to see, let them see. And remember, the truth is not "out there". It's here!

Further reading (added 5/12/19): "Lessons from London Bridge", by Tarek Fatah in the Toronto Sun, 4/12/19. Thanks to Agent 6 for the link.

Footnote: Thanks to the anonymous reader who told us that the term used by Dutch police to describe the copycat (?) who wounded three people in yesterday's attack in the Grote Marktstraat of The Hague is "licht vertint", meaning slightly tinted. The attacker is still at large.

UPDATED: Allahu akbar! in London... now The Hague too!

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside again! After months of relative quiet, London has once again experienced the result of allowing hundreds of thousands of Muslim migrants to settle in one's country. Parts of central London are on lockdown, and Inspector Knacker of the Yard has declared an "isolated incident" on London Bridge this afternoon (GMT) a terror attack. Of course the authorities haven't used words like "Muslim" or "Islamist", but here's what we know so far.

A "person" started attacking people walking along London Bridge with a knife, before being shot by police on the north side of the bridge. Footage circulating on social media showed members of the public detaining the suspect and taking possession of a knife. Police confirmed that "a number of people have been stabbed."

The head of UK counter-terrorism policing told the meeja, "At approximately 2 PM today, police were called to a stabbing at a premises near London Bridge. Emergency services attended including officers from the City of London Police and Metropolitan Police. A male suspect was shot by specialist armed officers from City of London police and I can confirm that this suspect died at the scene." He added added that police "believe a device [apparently a suicide vest] that was strapped to the body of the suspect is a hoax explosive device."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Interior Minister "My Good Mrs" Patel and London Mayor Sadiq Khan all expressed concern and said they were being updated on developments. "We must — and we will — stay resolute in our determination to stand strong and united in the face of terror," said Mayor Khan. "Those who seek to attack us and divide us will never succeed." Mr Khan is a peaceful, moderate Muslim -- not the sort who would wage jihad on those who do not follow the Prophet.

No word yet as to the identity of the attacker, let alone his nationality, ethnicity or religious beliefs, or what he may have shouted just before he was sent to Paradise, where he's now being serviced by 72 virgins. Those who wish to bet that he was a British-born white Christian (or Jew) are invited to send their money by PayPal to the usual address. I'll pay 100 to 1 if that turns out to be the case.

UPDATE added at 1120: Word just in that two people have died from wounds inflicted by the attacker. Still no word on the perp's identity etc etc.

FURTHER UPDATE added at 1225: This just in on the Mojo wire: Dutch police said this afternoon (local time) that three people had been wounded in a stabbing on a shopping street in The Hague. Inspektor Klompen said they were seeking a man aged 45 to 50, and described him using a Dutch term often applied to people of North African descent. [Would anyone who speaks Dutch and can tell us the term please contact me. Ed.] Sounds like a jihadi copycat to me. Does that make me an Islamophobe?

VIDEO: Movie Review: "The Irishman" - **** (four stars)

I almost never do movie reviews, for the simple reason that I don't see many new movies. Why should I, when there's so much dreck coming out of Hollywood... sequels, prequels, "action movies" featuring superhuman characters... And then there's the horror of going to a cinema, to be surrounded by people stuffing their faces with junk food while at the same time talking or texting on their idiot phones. Who needs it?

So I waited until last night, when The Irishman debuted on Netflix (it was in the theatres on November 1st) to see what was hailed by reviewers as "the best movie of the decade", "an instant classic", "Martin Scorsese's best film ever", and so on. I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed. I didn't even take a break at any point during the three-and-a-half-hour epic.

The Irishman tells the story of Frank Sheeran (played by Robert DeNiro), who, near the end of his life, claimed to be the one who killed Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) at the behest of Mafia boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci). Here's the trailer.



Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics. The story is told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century, and through his connection with Jimmy Hoffa became president of the Detroit Local (299) of the Teamsters Union.

Martin Scorsese has coaxed fine performances out of a trio of aging stars. Al Pacino is a bit larger-than-life as Jimmy Hoffa, but then Hoffa himself was larger-than-life. Joe Pesci plays Russell Bufalino with meancing understatement, so well that you forget his unfunny performances as the comic relief in earlier movies. And Robert DeNiro, as Frank Sheeran, nailed it.

I was watching with a critical eye for historical or other inaccuracies, but if you accept as truthful what Frank Sheeran told author Charles Brandt, as detailed in I Heard You Paint Houses, the book on which the movie is based, you'll not find much in the movie about which to be skeptical. I give it the highest possible rating - **** - four stars!

Further reading: "Frank Sheeran's Ring in The Irishman: What Does It Mean?", on Heavy.com. Spoiler Alert! Walt recommends reading this after you've seen the movie.

Obama not crazy about leading Dem presidential candidates

Walt is starting to see commercials on the idiot's lantern (read: TV) for Michael Bloomberg, who apparently has thrown his kippah into the ring for the Dumbocrat nomination for the presidensity. By my count, that makes four more or less serious contenders, not counting Pete Buttgag, who surely can't be taken seriously. The five are: two old millionaire Elders of Zion, a still older Gentile who has been (NB) vice-president, and, inevitably, Fauxcahontas. A possible late entry, not counted here, is Hellery Clinton, who declares that she's willing and able to "win again".

Which of these potential losers does former President Barack Hussein Obama support? In "Waiting for Obama", Politico reveals that the Prez isn't crazy about any of them, and once warned that he would intervene to stop Senator Bernie Sanders from winning the Democratic presidential nomination.

The title of the Politico piece -- "Waiting for Obama" -- is an infra-dig reference to a spoof that appeared in Garry Trudeau's [no relation to Mr Socks. Ed.] Doonesbury comic strip back in 1987. For a week, two characters in the strip discussed their hopes for Mario Cuomo to announce his intention to become the primary candidate for the Democratic party nomination for the 1988 election.

The burden of the Politico piece seems to be that President Obama thinks he would do better against Still-President Trump than any of the wannabes who are covertly seeking his endorsement. Some of them, he thinks, could destroy the Dumbocrats through their calls for radical change to America's social and political systems in the name of "social justice". His warnings are seen as a swipe at candidates like Senators Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

Politico claims the Prez has said in private he'd speak out against Mr Sanders if it looked like he could actually win. "Back when Sanders seemed like more of a threat than he does now, Obama said privately that if Bernie were running away with the nomination, Obama would speak up to stop him," the report says. However, the report quotes an Obama spokesthingy as saying the former president has stated that he would get behind the Democratic nominee regardless of who it is.

One adviser said that while they personally had no knowledge of this, the threat of a Sanders nomination would likely be cause for action. "I can't really confirm that," the adviser said, regarding the possibility of Obama trying to stop Sanders. "He hasn't said that directly to me. The only reason I'm hesitating at all is because, yeah, if Bernie were running away with it, I think maybe we would all have to say something. But I don't think that's likely. It's not happening."

It's not just Mr Sanders that the Prez dislikes. He's against the other, lesser-known, farther-out candidates too. At an Obama Foundation Summit event in October, the founder took aim at political "wokeness" and cancel culture. Weeks later, at a gathering of the Democracy Alliance, Mr Obama warned 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls that most voters do not want to "tear down the system."

Mr Obama dismissed far-left positions as not being popular among average Americans, even if they make waves on social media. "Even as we push the envelope and we are bold in our vision," he said, "we also have to be rooted in reality and the fact that voters, including the Democratic voters and certainly persuadable independents or even moderate Republicans, are not driven by the same views that are reflected on certain, you know, left-leaning Twitter feeds."

The same Politico report talks about Mr Obama's relationship with Creepy Joe Biden, whom he has not yet endorsed, despite Mr Biden's having served as vice president in the Obama administration, routinely touting on the stump their "special relationship". That's not how the Prez tells it. Politico says Mr Obama recalled to one candidate who came to him for advice how he himself had a bond with the voters that has since faded. He reportedly added, "And you know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden."

So who's left? Ryan Lizza, author of the Politico report, writes: "Over the next year, Obama, according to his closest advisers, will start to emerge with slightly bolder colors. The boldest might be riding into a battle unfolding on his own side, if he did lead a potential stop-Bernie campaign. But absent that unlikely development, one adviser suggested that Obama could also be pulled into the primary and forced to play a major role if Democrats failed to pick a nominee before the convention."

"A major role"? Such as what? The Prez can't be the Democratic candidate because Americans already made the same mistake twice. But there's nothing to bar his lovely and fragrant wife from accepting a draft, especially in a brokered convention. Michelle Obama is female (check), black (check), "woke" (check) and (most important) not any of those others. You read it here first!

Greta Thunberg inspires parents of teen to take action!

After our daughter, aged 15, was moved to tears by the speech of Greta Thunberg at the UN the other day, she became angry with our generation "who have been doing nothing for 30 years." So we decided to help her prevent what Saint Greta warned of -- "massive eradication and the disappearance of entire ecosystems." We are now committed to give our daughter a future again, by doing our part to help cool the planet four degrees.

From now on she will go to school on a bicycle, because driving her by car costs fuel, and fuel puts emissions into the atmosphere. Of course it will be winter soon and then she will want to go by bus, but only as long as it is a diesel bus. Somehow, that does not seem to be conducive to helping The Climate.

Of course, she is now asking for an electric bicycle, but we have shown her the devastation caused to the areas of the planet as a result of mining for the extraction of lithium and other minerals used to make batteries for electric bicycles, so she will be pedaling, or walking, which will not harm her or the planet. We used to cycle and walk to school too.

Since Saint Greta demanded "we need to get rid of our dependency on fossil fuels" and our daughter agreed with her, we have disconnected the heat vent in her room. The temperature is now dropping to twelve degrees in the evening, and will drop below freezing in the winter, we have promised to buy her an extra sweater, hat, tights, gloves and a blanket. For the same reason we have decided that from now on she will only take cold showers. She will wash her clothes by hand, with a wooden washboard, because the washing machine is simply a power consumer. And since the dryer uses natural gas, she will hang her clothes on the clothes line to dry.

Speaking of clothes, the ones that she currently has are all synthetic, made from petroleum. Therefore on Monday, we will bring all her designer clothing to the secondhand shop. We have found an eco store where the only clothing they sell is made from undyed and unbleached linen, wool and jute. Cotton is out of the question, as it comes from distant lands and pesticides are used for it. Very bad for the environment.It shouldn't matter that it looks good on her, or that she is going to be laughed at, dressing in colorless, bland clothes and without a wireless bra, but that's the price she has to pay for the benefit of The Climate.

We just saw on her Instagram that she's pretty angry with us. This was not our intention. From now on, at 7 PM we will turn off the WiFi and we will only switch it on again the next day after dinner for two hours. In this way we will save on electricity, so she will not be bothered by social-stress and will be totally isolated from the outside world. This way, she can concentrate solely on doing her homework. At eleven o'clock in the evening, we will pull the breaker to shut the power off to her room, so she knows that dark is really dark. That will save a lot of CO2.

She will no longer be participating in winter sports to ski lodges and resorts, nor will she be going on anymore vacations with us, because our vacation destinations are practically inaccessible by bicycle. Since our daughter fully agrees with Saint Greta that the CO2 emissions and footprints of her great-grandparents are to blame for "killing our planet", what all this simply means is that she also has to live like her great-grandparents, who never had a holiday, a car or even a bicycle.

And we haven't even mentioned about the carbon footprint of food yet. Zero CO2 footprint means no meat, no fish and no poultry, but also no meat substitutes that are based on soy. After all, that grows in farmers' fields, that use machinery to harvest the beans, trucks to transport to the processing plants, where more energy is used, then trucked to the packaging/canning plants, and trucked once again to the stores.

And there will be no imported food, because that has a negative ecological effect. And absolutely no chocolate from Africa, no coffee from South America and no tea from Asia. Only homegrown potatoes, vegetables and fruit that have been grown in local cold soil, because greenhouses run on boilers, piped in CO2 and artificial light. Apparently, these things are also bad for The Climate. We will teach her how to grow her own food.

Bread is still possible, but butter, milk, cheese and yogurt, cottage cheese and cream come from cows and they emit CO2. No more margarine and no oils will be used for the frying pan, because that fat is palm oil from plantations in Borneo where rain forests first grew. No ice cream in the summer. No soft drinks and no energy drinks, as the bubbles are CO2. She wanted to lose some pounds, well, this will help her achieve that goal too.

We will also ban all plastic, because it comes from chemical factories. Everything made of steel and aluminum must also be removed. Have you ever seen the amount of energy a blast furnace consumes or an aluminum smelter? Shockingly bad for The Climate! We will replace her 9600-coil, memory foam pillow-top mattress with a jute bag filled with straw, and a horsehair pillow.

Finally, she will no longer be using makeup, soap, shampoo, cream, lotion, conditioner, toothpaste and medication. In this way we will help her do her part to prevent mass extinction, water levels rising and the disappearance of entire ecosystems.

If she truly believes she wants to walk the talk of Saint Greta, she will no doubt gladly accept and happily embrace her new way of life!

Thanks and a tip of the undyed, all-wool toque to Agent 6.

VIDEO: Open letter to Pope Francis: Catholics resist him to his face

From Rome, Michael Matt, editor of The Remnant newspaper, reads his Open Letter to Pope Francis, which explains why faithful Catholics the world over are resisting this radically leftist pope to his face.

Borrowing from Saint Paul's letter to the Galatians, Mr Matt promises not only to resist Francis, but also to teach his children to resist him and to never stop resisting him until he dies or radically reconsiders his campaign to destroy what's left of the human element of Christ's Church. The video also includes many clips of the bizarre occurrences in what Mr Matt calls "the worst pontificate in the history of the Church."



From Pope Francis, libera nos Domine.

Further reading: Click here to read the complete text of Mr Matt's Open Letter to Pope Francis on The Remnant website.

Impeachment hearings wind up - what next?

The witch-hunt ["hearings", shurely. Ed.] into who said what to whom about an "investigation" into something or somebody ground to a halt last night, and not a moment to soon. The rehash of testimony already given behind closed doors revealed that people have selective memories, heaer what they want to hear, and don't hear what they don't want to hear. Nothing there to see (or hear), folks.

This morning the Dumbocrats are asking themselves

Rolling polls taken throughout the witch-hunt suggest that Americans remain divided, roughly 50-50, almost totally along party lines. Few Republicans were persuaded to throw Still-President Trump under the bus, and few Democrats admitted (publicly, at least) that the whole impeachment strategy was a mistake that will backfire on them in just under a year's time.

What happens next? Next week is Thanksgiving Week -- giving thanks for surcease from partisan politics would be appropriate -- so we won't likely see the vote of the House Judiciary Committee until December. They will almost certainly vote to impeach. (Lifetime pct .982.) That will mean a trial in Senate, likely in January, following which the Senate will vote against removing the President from office. (Lifetime pct .982.) The 2020 election campaign can then begin in earnest.

Footnote: The cartoon was scraped from Blazing Cat Fur, q.v.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to be beatified in Peoria December 21st

Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria IL announced on Monday that the Vatican has approved plans for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. The ceremony will take place at 1000 EST at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria.

"This is the same cathedral where (Archbishop) Sheen was ordained a priest 100 years ago, on Sept. 20, 1919," said a Peoria diocesan news release. "It seems entirely fitting that the beatification will take place at the end of this 100-year anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood."

The beatification was scheduled just weeks after the conclusion of a lengthy legal battle between the Peoria diocese and the Archdiocese of New York over the final resting place of the late prelate's remains. His remains are presently entombed in a marble vault in the Peoria cathedral, next to the altar where he was ordained.

Walt has mentioned or written about Archbishop Sheen several times over the years. The most popular of these post is "Venerable Fulton J. Sheen interviewed by Wm. F. Buckley Jr.", WWW 14/7/19, which features a 53-minute video of the prelate's appearance on William F. Buckley's Firing Line TV programme. Although the interview is almost half a century old, it still provides many insights which are relevant to a world... and a Church... which has become much worse in the intervening years.

UPDATED: Canada's feminist PM demotes blonde bimbos

Immediately upon his election four years ago, Canada's allegedly metrosexual, avowedly feminist and decidedly woke Prime Minister Just In Trudeau vowed to have equal numbers of men and women in his cabinet. Gender identity thus became Priority One, ahead of intellect, experience and competence.

The result was the appointment of Chrystia Freeland and Catherine McKenna as Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Environment respectively. The two bottle blondes quickly became the most loathed and reviled members of the government of Canuckistan.

Chrystia Freeland, who represents an uber-elite riding in downtown Toronto, distinguished herself by:
- Throwing a "These people are impossible!" hissy fit when attempting to negotiate a trade agreement with the European Union
- So annoying American officials trying to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement that they suggested it would be better if she stopped attending the meetings
- Pissing off the Saudis by demanding (!) the release of human rights activists jailed for violating the Oil Kingdom's laws
- Appearing in public in a white dress with bodice so tight that bumps looking like nipples were clearly visible to those who didn't avert their eyes.

Catherine McKenna, who was re-elected in an Ottawa riding where 98% of the voters work for the federal government, and know enough not to bite the hand that feeds them, quickly earned the sobriquet "Climate Barbie" for her hysterical rants about the imminent destruction of Mother Earth. She:
- enraged Western Canadians by suggesting that the oil on which their economy depends ought to be left in the ground
- opposing the construction of new pipelines (success!) and the expansion of the existing Trans-Mountain pipeline (partial success)
- passing a regulation further limiting the number of polar bears Inuit [former "Eskimo". Ed.] hunters could take, in the face of their testimony that polar bears are no more endangered than they were 50 years ago
- calling Canadians who didn't believe that in climate change ignorant and "unpatriotic"
- demanding that the meeja and other Canucks stop calling her "hateful names" like "Climate Barbie" and, errr, the C-word which was spray-painted on her constituency office the night of her re-election.

Canucks and others who find all this a bit hard to believe are invited to check out Walt's numerous sarcastic and disparaging posts about Ms Freeland and Ms McKenna.

But there's good news coming today for long-suffering Canucks. In about six hours, Prime Minister Trudeau will draw back the curtain to reveal his new and improved (???) cabinet. Apparently somewhat chastened by his rejection in large swathes of the Great No-longer-white North (not one Liberal elected in Alberta or Saskatchewan), Mr Socks is expected to shuffle Ms Freeland and Mr McKenna off centre stage, to positions in the wings, behind the potted plants.

Foreign Affairs magazine named Ms Freeland "Diplomat of the Year" for 2018. Walt's agent in the world's second-coldest capital city says that by this afternoon, the would-be successor to Mr Socks will be employing her diplomatic skills "domestically". Canada's constitution doesn't provide for a "Deputy Prime Minister", but rumour has it that the position, heretofore filled on an ad hoc basis by whoever was willing to take one for the team, will now be made official, complete with office, staff, limousine, all the stuff that Ms Freeland got used to while swanning around the capitals of the world as Foreign Affairs/Global Affairs Minister. She will thus enjoy all the influence that Vice-President Pence has in the US of A.

It's unclear where Ms McKenna will be going, except that it won't be Environment/Climate Change or Natural Resources. Some wags say that Greta Thunberg will be made an honorary Canuck and appoint to the Senate, so to become the new Minister for Deindustrialization, but somehow I doubt that. (Lifetime pct .982.) Ms McKenna will probably get something where her sensitivity to the needs of ordinary working-class Canadians can be put to good use. Minister of Revenue, perhaps. Or Minister of Refugees, Immigration and Citizenship. (There is such a ministry. Walt wouldn't kid you.)

Once the new and improved cabinet is installed, Prime Minister Trudeau is expected to take his family on a long overdue vacation to visit with his friend George Soros on the Aga Khan's private island in the Caribban. [Ed., please check. Didn't they already do that?]

UPDATE ADDED 22/11/19: This guide to the Trudeau government's new ministries appeared atop Chris Selley's column in today's National Post.

As Nelson Muntz sez... (see above)...

Hong Kong nut-cutting time fast approaching

Looks like the crunch is coming for the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Agent 78 has been following the news closely and reports that, as of this morning (Walt's time) only 100 or so anti-government protesters remain holed up at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, as a police siege of the campus entered its third day.

Carrie Lam, the puppet CEO chosen by the Beijing government, said 600 people, including 200 minors, had left the campus. The police siege, oddly, is intended to prevent the protesters from leaving, so they can be arrested and face "justice", Communist-style. Police have surrounded the university and are arresting anyone who leaves.

On Monday, groups of protesters made several attempts to escape, including sliding down hoses to waiting motorcycles, but it wasn’t clear if they managed to evade arrest. Ms Lam told AP that 400 of the 600 who left were detailed, but that those under 18 were not be immediately arrested but could face charges later. "We will use whatever means to continue to persuade and arrange for these remaining protesters to leave the campus as soon as possible," she said, "so that this whole operation could end in a peaceful manner."

Hong Kong police also announced that they will be treating the death of a man hit by a brick thrown by protesters late on Thursday as murder. Last Friday, pro-democracy protesters blocked a road near the Hong Kong Polytechnic campus, but were dispersed by police forces led by Inspector Charles Chan, using tear gas and water cannons. The president of the university said on Friday that he would call on the "assistance of non-students" if necessary. Sure enough, troops of the so-called People's Liberation Army (read: Chinese regular army) came to clear up the debris and open the road. The message was clear. Today they came with brooms. Tomorrow they will be back with something else.

Here in the decadent imperialist West, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo finally opened his official mouth to state the American non-position on the pro-democracy protests. He called on police and protesters to refrain from violence. Well, he used a few more words than that, without adding much more substance.

On Monday, Mr Pompeo called for all sides to exercise restraint in the escalating Hong Kong conflict, and said the territory's government should start an independent investigation into "incidents" during the pro-democracy protests, now entering their seventh month. That inquiry presumably would include reviewing accusations of police misconduct, one of the key demands of the protesters.

Speaking at a presser in Foggy Bottom, Secretary Pompeo said, the Hong Kong government bears primary responsibility for the conflict, which he said could not be resolved by law enforcement alone. He called for the Hong Kong government to "take clear steps to address public concerns," and stressed that Carrie Lam, the territory's chief executive, should "promote accountability" by putting in place an independent investigation.

What Mr Pompeo did not say was that Ms Lam's hands are tied. She answers not to Hong Kong's toothless Legislative Council, but to the Communist masters in Beijing, who are running out of patience with the Hong Kongers' refusal to embrace the benefits of "democracy with Chinese characteristics". Somehow the Secretary of State managed to get through his entire statement without once uttering the words "Beijing" or "China".

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), on the other hand, said Still-President Trump should make forceful statements on Hong Kong. Speaking in the Senate on Monday, Senator McConnell said leaders in Beijing and Hong Kong must "de-escalate." He said the administration already had "significant tools" it could use to support Hong Kong protesters. "I would encourage this president, who has seen Chinese behaviour for what it is, with clarity that others have lacked, not to shy away from speaking out on Hong Kong himself," Mr McConnell said. "The world should hear from him directly that the United States stands with these brave men and women."

He added he was working to try to bring the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act to a floor vote. The bill, which passed the House by unanimous consent, would mandate the executive branch to impose sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials who carry out human rights abuses and review annually the favourable trade status that Washington grants Hong Kong. Mr McConnell has been criticized for delaying a floor vote on the bill. If he can do so now, and the bill passes the Senate (not a sure thing), it will be more than interesting to see what President Trump does with it. Nut-cutting time not just for the Hong Kong protesters but for the leader of the USA and the free world.

Footnote: Looking at the top photo Ed. has chosen for this story, I see that some of the students have obviously been paying attention in English class. As a former teacher of English to Chinese university students, seeing correct use of English in public discourse makes me quietly proud.

VIDEO: Together at last: Rex Murphy and Jordan Peterson

Rex Murphy, sometimes quoted and often recommended by Walt, is one of Canada's premier journalists. Jordan Peterson calls him "tough, truthful, politically correct, and possessed of a singular style and character." Like Don Cherry (although he might not like the comparison), he was "deplatformed" by the Canadian Broadcorping Castration some years ago for being too opinionated (on the wrong side, of course), too nationalistic, too politically incorrect... too truthful. Canada's National Post is the only lamestream media outlet which still carries his columns.

I'm pleased to see that Mr Murphy now has his own video channel - RexTV. Last week he interviewed Dr Jordan Peterson, the University of Toronto clinical psychologist who has become even more famous than Rex for speaking to power, calmly and rationally, the truth about the modern state of education, politics, identity, and the (((controlled media))). Those are just some of the subjects they cover in this discussion. It runs nearly an hour and every minute is worth watching.



You will have noticed that for much of the interview, Dr Peterson is suffering considerable emotional distress. It's hard for us, his fans, to see him choking up, and verging on tears. But one must admire his courage in putting himself "out there" in spite of everything. He deserves our support and our prayers.

Jordan Peterson has his own YouTube channel, by the way. Walt recommends it highly.

VIDEO: Sunday Funnies with George Carlin

This seems like a good time to give you, dear readers, a break from the bullshit of the impreachment witch-hunt ["hearings", shurely! Ed.]. But we mustn't forget what a steaming load of bullshit is excreted in Washington every day -- past, present and future. To remind us, who better than George Carlin. Here's an old(ish) and long(ish) but good (for sure) video of a speech he made at the National Press Club, in which he spends much time dissecting and rejecting the way politicians talk, thus implicating (as Mr Carlin says) the press corps which faithfully records the bullshit and passes it along to a gullible public.

You can skip the introductions, including Mr Carlin's self-introduction. The good stuff begins at 10:40.

Impeachment witch-hunt: Another day of drivel

The Impeach-Trump=N-Matter-What hearings continued yesterday. Wednesday's TV snorefest supposedly was viewed, at least for a few minutes, by 13,000,000 Americans. (A handful of Canucks may have tuned in as well, since the never-Trumpers at the CBC managed to put the whole thing on their news website as well as their all-news channel.) The number watching yesterday has not been disclosed but is expected to be about 12,900,000 fewer.

Those who had better things to do may have received the impression, watching the (((controlled media))) news recaps, that the big shock of the day was former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch choking up when told that Still-President Trump had said nasty things about her, and was doing so, on Twitter, even as she spoke!

The chief reason for Ms Yovanovitch's appearance seemed to be to give her an opportunity to vent about the shock and dismay she felt when she was fired by President Trump "for no reason". She didn't actually try (as Tucker Carlson had predicated) but did appear terribly, terribly hurt.

Ms Yovanovitch gave no evidence, not even hearsay, about telephone calls made by President Trump to Ukrainian President Zelensky or to other US State Department hacks. Nor did she say anything about "quid pro quo" or "bribery". None of the allegations which the House Intelligence Committee [sic] is supposed to be investigating happened on her watch.

But she did spill the beans about something that happened while she was still Ambassador to the Ukraine, namely the firing of that country's top prosecutor, who, according to Ms Yovanovitch, was investigating the affairs of Burisma Holdings, thereby causing some embarrassment for one of its directors -- Hunter Biden -- and his father, Old Joe Biden, the presidential wannabe.

The HIC asked Ms Yovanovitch about the status of the Ukrainian government's probe into corruption at Burisma when Joe Biden pushed for the ouster of Viktor Shokin, the country’s prosecutor general, in 2016. In response, she admitted that conflicts of interest between the former vice-president and his youngest son were topics of concern for Obama administration officials during her confirmation as ambassador to Ukraine in 2016.

Her admission that Mr Shokin was looking for a "hook" with which to prosecute Burisma and its founder, Mykola Zlocvesky, undermines a central argument Biden père has made to defend his conduct. Since the story became central to the impeachment inquiry, Old Joe and his allies have tried to argue that the investigation into Burisma was dormant at the time of his firing and therefore the ouster of Mr Shokin actually improved the chances that the company would face stricter scrutiny. Besides, that was all done while the Prez was in office, so it was OK... nothing like the kind of meddling in the affairs of a foreign country of which President Trump is accused. Got it?

Not televised for some reason [nudge-nudge, wink-wink. Ed] was the testimony of David Holmes, the aide who claims that, while eating at a restaurant in Kiev, he overheard President Trump talking on the phone with Gordon Sondland, US Ambassador to the European Union. See "Impeachment hearings: a word about hearsay", WWW 15/11/19 (includes video). Mr Trump's end of the conversation must have been difficult for Mr Holmes to hear, but (he says) he clearly overheard Mr Sondland telling President Trump that President Zelensky "loves your ass."

We can only speculate as to whether Mr Sondland was revealing an aspect to the Trump-Zelensky relationship which no-one would ever have suspected. Perhaps Mr Holmes didn't hear a key word. Perhaps Mr Sondland told the President that "Zelensky loves your wife's ass." [Makes more sense to me! Ed.] Or perhaps Mr Sondland was just speaking figuratively.

Other than that, Mr Holmes' testimony added little, serving to confirm only that Mr Trump was indeed interested in Ukraine undertaking "investigations" into 2016 election interference and the circumstances in which former Vice-President Joe Biden forced the ouster of prosecutor Shokin. Mr Holmes' testimony may also have violated rules around classified and privileged communications, but since Donald Trump is the target, that's OK with Adam Schiff and the other Dumbocrats on the HIC.

That's enough drivel for this week. Enjoy your weekend.

VIDEO: Toronto Sun talks with Don Cherry about "You people"

SportsNet's firing of Don Cherry from the "Coach's Corner" segment of Hockey Night in Canada has dominated the news in Canuckistan since it was announced on Sunday. Even the never-Trumpers at the CBC were forced to talk about it ahead of reports from the witch-hunt. All the (((controlled media))) ran short interviews with "Grapes", but only the Toronto Sun gave him over ten minutes to say his piece in full. Here's the video.



Further reading:
"Poor Len Canayen calls Cherry firing an insult to Canadians", WWW 12/11/19.
"Don Cherry was both right and wrong", by Tarek Fatah, Toronto Sun, 13/11/19.

VIDEO: Impeachment hearings: a word about hearsay

The witch-hunt resumes today, as the Dumbocrats scramble to find someone, anyone who's going to give credible first-hand evidence of Still-President Trump having committed an impeachable offence. It is a stretch greater than yoga pants over a fat girl's bum to call what has been alleged so far "bribery". Nancy Pelosi knows that, which is why she used that word yesterday. Goebbels called it the Big Lie. If you're going to tell an untruth, make it a huge one, and say it early and often.

It became necessary for Speaker Pelosi to cross the line from hysteria to insanity when Wednesday's "bombshell", dropped by Bill Taylor, acting US Ambassador to Ukraine, turned out to be a damp squib. As I understood Mr Taylor's testimony (and I admit I was having difficult staying awake, even at that early hour of the morning), Mr Taylor said that a member of his staff told him that he (the staff member) had overheard, while dining at a restaurant, a conversation between the President and Gordon Sondland, US Ambassador to the European Union, in which Mr Trump allegedly asked Mr Sondland "how the investigations [into alleged corruption at Burisma, a Ukrainian company of which Hunter Biden was a director] were progressing."

Let's parse that, keeping in mind the legal rule against hearsay, a basic tenet of Anglo-American common law, the foundation of the legal systems of the AABC countries. What is hearsay? This short (2:48) video gives the definition. [Sorry if it sounds like "mansplaining". Ed.]



Another reason for disallowing hearsay evidence is that the out-of-court statement might well be a lie, contrived for the purpose of setting up or discrediting the person about whom the statement was made.

So what did Bill Taylor say on Wednesday? He did not say that President Trump had spoken to him. He did not say that President Trump had spoken to Ambassador Sondland and that he (Taylor) had listened in to the phone call, or even overheard it while sitting nearby in a restaurant. Mr Taylor said that his unnamed staffer had told him (Taylor) that he (the staffer) had overheard (not listened directly to) a telephone conversation between President Trump and Ambassador Sondland in which, the way the staffer remembers it, Mr Trump asked something like "How's it going?"

This is offered by Mr Taylor and the Democrats as proof that Still-President Trump was more interested in getting the Bidens than resolving issues in America's relations with Ukraine. Or rather, Mr Taylor said, that was Ambassador Sondland's thinking, which so concerned Mr Taylor that he thought it necessary to express his concern.

If that isn't hearsay piled upon hearsay, I don't know what is! Adam Schiff and his colleagues are going to have to do a lot better than that if they hope to quell the reasonable doubt which even some Dumbocrats are expressing. Well, they're not expressing it to me, but I heard from a friend in Washington that someone had told him that a Democrat had said that to him... or something like that...

1-minute video: Pro-Don Cherry protest, Toronto, Nov. 13th

"Mike from Simcoe-Grey County-Clearwater Township" is another of the tens of thousands of Canadians outraged by the firing of Canadian icon Don Cherry from the "Coach's Corner" segment of Hockey Night in Canada. He's spreading the word of a protest to be held tomorrow, November 13th, at 1300 EST, at the SportsNet studios in the heart of the Little Green Apple (Woke Mayor John Tory, Prop.)



It's too far for Walt to attend, but I'll be there in spirit, and wish all you fans of free speech (and foes of political correctness) the best of luck. You'll need it!

Poor Len Canayen calls Cherry firing an insult to Canadians

Ed. here. Poor Len Canayen called to say that when he saw we were posting a video with comments from The Hockey Guy on Don Cherry's firing for political incorrectness, he wondered how we could do it since he hadn't made any video. Then he realized there's another "hockey guy". Now our hockey guy wants to speak for himself. Over to you, Len....

Tank youse, Hed. And tank youse for including me in the last paragraph of your introduction to The Other Hockey Guy's video. I do agree, and have to say that I watch THG regularly and appreciate his hard work and fair comments, even though he's no fan of La Sainte Flannelle. Now den, about the craven decision of SportsNet et al. to get rid of Don Cherry just because he said something that might be perceived as "divisive" or "offensive" to some people... I think booting him and Coach's Corner off Hockey Night in Canada is shameful and stupid!

What's really stupid is that by pandering to the multiculti crowd and caving to the PC police, Rogers/SportsNet/CBC/HNIC have managed to alienate 1000s of Canadian hockey fans -- the kind of people who actually watched (note past tense) "Coach's Corner". When Don Cherry referred to "you people" -- note: that's the term he used, not "immigrants" -- he wasn't talking about your typical Canadian hockey fan. "Those people" don't watch HNIC. They don't like hockey! They prefer football (not real football but the kind where you can't use your hands), basketball, and, dare I say it, cricket. No hockey for them.

If you don't believe me, keep your eyes open when the TV cameras pan across the crowds at the hockey games. (This applies not just to Canada but the Excited States of America.) You'd more likely see a black bear or brown bear in Nunavut than you would a person of colour at a hockey game. The people you see in the stands are the kind of people who watch Don Cherry... and wear poppies.

They may not always agree with Donless, especially when he rabbits on about "when I had Bobby Orr", but they respect his right to speak his mind (or his mouth). Freedom of speech is what Canadians, Americans, Brits, Aussies, even the French, fought and died for. But nowadays free speech is not for the unorthodox or anti-orthodox. Shame!

VIDEO: The Hockey Guy comments on Don Cherry's firing

SportsNet fired Don Cherry today. On Remembrance Day. Because he was politically incorrect enough to call out people who ought to be wearing poppies to honour those who gave their lives for freedom, but aren't doing so. See "Don Cherry calls out people who won't wear a poppy", WWW 10/11/19.

What happened is simple to explain. All the lefties, SJWs, refugee-huggers and other "right-thinking people" blitzed the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, Hockey Night in Canada, SportsNet (which owns and produces HNIC), and the Canadian Broadcorping Castration (which airs it), and Rogers (the cable monsters who own SportsNet) to complain about Donless attacking immigrants, when he never entered that word or anything like it. What he said was "You people...", and of course that means he's a white nationalist, racist bigot, yada yada yada.

Predictably, everyone caved, including Don's "Coach's Corner" second banana, Ron MacLean, who made a fulsome, gag-inducing on-air apology. SportsNet said its arrangement with Mr Cherry was terminated effective immediately, then thanked him for his decades of service. Blech. The makers of Budweiser (the alleged beer), who sponsored the segment said they respected SportsNet's decision.

So it's farewell then, Donald S. Cherry, Canadian icon. Poor Len Canayen, who knows well Mr Cherry's dislike of the Montréal Canadiens, says he will miss you. So will hundreds of thousands of Canucks, including The Hockey Guy. Here's his take on the whole sad affair.

Where can I get one of these?!

Every day I ask Ed. "What snoo?", and Ed. replies "Knot much." But as the day wears on, he and I usually discover something of which we were previously unaware. Today it's the famous (somewhere else?) Pinzgauer 718K, sometimes described as a light utility vehicle, sometimes as a camper, sometimes as a military vehicle -- the military in question being the Swiss army, which uses them to transport knives.

They're not exactly new. A quick Google search reveals that they've been around, in various models (including one with canvas top and sides) since the 1970s. Some are available, slightly used, on online sales sites. So that answers my big question of the day: where can I get one of these?! I wannit, I wannit, I wannit!

After all, Arnold Schwarzenegger has one! According to the Daily Mail, Ahnold was seen yesterday driving his six-wheeled Pinzgauer 718-K high-mobility all-terrain vehicle, in Brentwood CA, just days after meeting with seriously disturbed teen activist Greta Thunberg.

Herr Schwarzenegger, who might have been president of the USA were it not for being a foreigner, has had his gas-guzzler shipped to Germany and back, to fit it with an S-TEC low-displacement engine, so as to make it more environmentally friendly. The original SUV (or whatever you call it) had a D24T 2.4-litre diesel engine, getting no more than 20-30 mpg. When I was a lad, that was considered pretty good gas mileage, but driving something that fuel-inefficient now makes you a climate change denier. And if it's made in Germany you're probably a racist too!

VIDEO: Remembrance Day 2019 - Lest we forget

I was going to write the customary platitudes about remembering and honouring those who made the supreme sacrifice in defence of freedom, democracy, the right to boo the umpire and so on. But after listening to Don Cherry (see previous post) I have something more to get off my chest.

Sure, I'm wearing my poppy, and shame on those who don't pay at least a little attention to this day and its meaning. But that doesn't mean that I approve of, let alone encourage war. I am familiar with the concept of the "just war", but IMHO most of the wars fought by the AABC countries (America, Australia, Britain, and Canada) since 1812 have been fought by the wrong people, in the wrong places, for the wrong reasons. I'll except World Wars I and II, which America, to its everlasting shame, entered late. And maybe Korea. But I've never felt that any war since Korea has been worth one drop of the blood shed by so many, or one dollar of the billions spent.

That doesn't mean I won't remember and honour those who gave their lives. When duty calls, you have to go. If you volunteered to serve in the armed forces, what did you sign up for? Many were misguided. Many were misled. But they did their duty and kept the promises they'd made. As was famously said of the British Army, they were "lions commanded by donkeys." And there they lie, in Flanders fields, at the bottom of the south Pacific, buried within a numbered hill somewhere in Vietnam.

Was it all worth it? Listen to John McDermott's excellent rendition of "The Green Fields of France". The visuals are from the "Great War", World War I, "the war to end all wars".

VIDEO: Don Cherry calls out people who won't wear a poppy

In Canada, tomorrow, November 11th, is Remembrance Day -- the day on which Canadians honour the many thousands who paid the ultimate price in foreign wars for the freedom and prosperity which the Great No-longer-white North enjoys today.

Because Canadians lost a proportionately higher number of young men and women than countries like the UK and the USA, it's a big deal in Canada. For ten days now, members of the Royal Canadian Legion have been selling poppies, which patriotic Canadians are urged to buy (for a loonie or two) and wear on their lapels to honour those who went to fight for their country and never came home.

In rural Canada, nearly everyone wears a poppy. (Why a poppy? Read "In Flanders Fields", a touching poem by Lt-Col. John McCrae, who was there.) In the Toronto conurbation, where native-born Canadians are in the minority, not as much. The inimitable Don Cherry had something to say about that on the "Coach's Corner" segment of Hockey Night in Canada last night. Here's the clip.



Predictably, Mr Cherry is already being attacked by the SJWs and multiculti wienies in Canuckistan's (((controlled media))) for "singling out" immigrants, although he never used that word. What he said (in case you can't understand the accent) was, "You people … you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that. These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price."

Mr Cherry made his comment prior to running his annual Remembrance Day video montage, where he is seen walking through a military cemetery in France, visiting the graves of Canadian soldiers who went to battle in World War I and never returned.

Footnote: No comments are allowed on the CBC News online report of this story. Your comments are welcome here! Just click on the headline and Walt's post will open in a new tab, with the comments window at bottom.

UPDATE ADDED 11/11/19: Click here to sign the "Support Don Cherry" petition!

UPDATED: Climate change denier, you are being watched!

This massive mural of hair-on-fire teen "climate activist" Greta Thunberg is going up near Union Square in the heart of San Francisco. It is still being detailed and is expected to be completed early next week.

Said Paul Scott, executive director of One Atmosphere, the nonprofit that commissioned the work, "We're hoping [the mural] is going to touch people and that it will open up their hearts and minds to the unbridled conviction of Greta's message." Doesn't that remind you of huge pictures and billboards with the face of Jesus that we used to see scattered around rural America? Very scary...

Walt wonders if there are CCTV cameras embedded behind Greta's eyes. Perhaps they relay images of the street below direct to Greta on the planet Nutso, or wherever she is. Perhaps not. She wouldn't be pleased to see the shit and other filth that are part of the San Fran street scene.

Further reading (added 11/11/19): "Declaring California a 'Compassionate State' – That’ll Fix Everything", by Phil Cowan, in the California Globe, 10/11/19. Subtitle: Where, exactly, is the compassion for Californians?

VIDEO: Climate Change Trans Counselling - Will Franken

YouTube is a wonderful resource for days when Walt is OOJ (Out Of Juice), like today... A little browsing invariably leads to something new and interesting/provoking/funny. Today YT gave us not only Mountain Bear (see previous post), but also the enormously talented Will Franken, who, frankly (geddit?) we hadn't heard of before.

Turns out Mr Franken (no relation to Al... we hope!) is not just a funny stand-up comic -- an oxymoron these days -- but also a fantastic impressionist. He switches back and forth between English and American (and other) accents effortlessly, as did the late great Peter Sellers, to the point where we couldn't be sure whether he's American or British. [He's a Brit. I looked it up. Ed.] Here's his set recorded in May at London's free-thinking comedy club, Comedy Unleashed. The devastating impressino of Greta Thunberg comes at about the 18-minute mark.

VIDEO: Justin Trudeau channels Mr Dressup

Who was "Mr Dressup"? Most Canucks who were kids in the 70s and 80s will remember the TV show of that name, which ran on the Canadian Broadcorping Castration from 1967 to 1996. The show was developed and produced by Daniel McCarthy, who later became the head of children's programming for CBC Television. It starred Ernie Coombs as the eponymous character.

Mr Dressup would lead children through a series of songs, stories, arts, crafts and imagination games, with the help of his puppet friends Casey and Finnegan, a child and a dog who lived in a tree house in Mr Dressup's backyard. Some critics likened the series to the American series, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In fact, that show started being broadcast on PBS a year later, in 1968. And it was produced by Ernie Coombs' old professional associate, Fred Rogers. So you have to give Canucks the credit [or blame. Ed.] for the genre.

But I digress. Part of Mr Dressup's shtick was to dress up (geddit?) in different costumes, according to the theme of the episode. Those who thought that was entertaining and clever mourned the loss of Mr Dressup, but were pleasantly surprised (apparently) when the character was reborn in 2013 as Just In Trudeau, who went on to become Prime Minister of Canada.

"Mr Socks" became famous ["infamous", shurely. Ed.] last year for dressing up as an Indian (not native American -- the other kind) to impress the folks in Mumbai when he went there to recruit more immigrants and potential Liberal voters. During the recent federal election campaign, whistleblowers leaked photos of M Trudeau wearing brownface and blackface at costume parties and, errr, other events. It is said he put a banana in his pants as part of his blackface get-up.

So it would seem that being a latterday Mr Dressup is all part of Mr Socks' plan for winning the hearts and minds of not just Canadians but but also whatever audience he happens to be addressing. A clever Canuck cartoonist who posts on YouTube as "Mountain Bear" has captured the essence of Just In and his charisma in this short but pithy video. Enjoy!

Puzzle page: What's wrong with this picture?

Ed. here. Today's post about a puzzle page in an early issue of MAD magazine has drawn a lot of interest. Walt thinks we should have a puzzle page of our own, so let's start with:

Q. What's wrong with this picture?

A. Nothing! Didn't you get the memo on political correctness and Islamophobia?

Further reading: "Swedish Politician Sees 'Advantages' of Polygamy", Breitbart News, 6/11/19.

A reply to a reader's comment about MAD Magazine

In a comment appended to "MAD no longer", WWW 7/7/19, a reader with a long memory writes: In the old days, there was also a small booklet version of MAD magazine. Wider than it was tall. Perhaps even hard cover? I don't remember. In one of them I remember seeing a clever quiz type page that showed a scene of a girl sitting in a room and the caption was "What's wrong with this picture?". As you began to examine the picture you found that absolutely everything was wrong and nothing was correct. The girl was sitting with her head on her hand but her head was upside down. There was a window in the room and outside was a ship that was sinking, etc. I was only about 6 years old and this struck me as hilarious. An early introduction to irony.

Good news, reader! Ed. has hunted through Walt's enormous collection of MAD, National Lampoon, Playboy and other fine literature and found this.

And here's the answer page, showing that you were 100% correct!

The "puzzle" appears to be the work of Bill/Will Elder, one of the original "gang of idiots" who produced MAD 's "humor in a jugular vein" in the mid- to late fifties.

Now then, about the "small booklet version", to which you refer. Ed. found these pages in a Ballantine paperback titled Inside MAD, originally published in 1955. (The additional title - "William M. Gaines'" - was added in reprints a couple of years later, after Gaines took over MAD from the original publisher, Harvey Kurtzman.)

The book is in the standard paperback format of the time, about 4.25" wide by 7". The reason you remember it as being in horizontal format is because most of the pages were printed in landscape format, so they could chop up the comix into one line (from the magazine format) per page and still print it at a reasonably readable size.

Included in Inside MAD were three puzzle pages, a "Backword" by Stan Freberg, Mickey Rodent!, Slow Motion, Howdy Dooit!, Smilin' Melvin!, Mark Trade!, Movie Ads!, Katchandhammer Kids!, Bat Boy and Rubin!, Shermlock Shomes!, and ad parodies. Besides Bill Elder, artwork was done by Jack Davis and Wallace/Wally Wood -- terrific comic book artists, all three of them.

Now here's the really excellent news. If you'd like to have a copy, let Ed. know where to contact you. Write your e-mail address in the comment window. We won't publish it, but Walt will make you an eminently reasonable offer! And we do thank you for your interest!

VIDEO: Catholic priest burns effigy of Pachamama

Traditional Catholics, who try to keep the Faith of our fathers, were pleased this past weekend to see a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Mexico City burning effigies of the pagan "Pachamama" statues, while leading the faithful in prayer to atone for the sin of worshipping the statues during the recently concluded Amazon Synod at the Vatican. Here's the video, originally posted on LifeSite News.



Father Hugo Valdemar stands outside a Church dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, while flames leaped out of a metal fireplace on top of a table covered with a white cloth. He stands next to an altar-boy holding an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The priest was also flanked by an icon of Saint Michael the Archangel, to whom we pray earnestly, now more than ever, to protect us in the day of battle and deliver Holy Mother Church from her enemies, without and (especially) within.

"The most blessed Virgin of Guadalupe", Father Hugo says, "is a young woman who is pregnant. She has Jesus in her womb, who is to give birth to the new continent [the new world]. She says that she comes to grant her love to all the inhabitants of this entire continent (not just Mexico). She is pregnant and carries Jesus who will bring us the Gospel and drive away the darkness of idolatry and the devil."

The priest then picks up one of the Pachamama effigies and, holding it next to the image of Our Lady, explains the difference between the two.

"A friend exorcist says that this idol [Pachamama] is actually the figure of the Antichrist. It is a blasphemy and parody of Mary. Pachamama is pregnant but carries the Antichrist to give birth to him in the Masonic church, to destroy the sacraments, which is to return to idolatry and superstition. So, this Antichrist who is to give birth to a church with an 'Amazonian face' is an abomination, it is a contradiction to Church doctrine, which is the dynamic into which these idolaters want to enter now.

"So, in sign of repugnance to the offences that they made to the most Blessed Virgin Mary in Rome, in Her Church of Transpontina, we, as a protest and as a sign of reparation, burn this satanic idol of the Pachamama."

Father Hugo then drops the Pachamama into the fire, where it was consumed. Two more effigies were later burned. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, and to your Blessed Mother.

The difference between Grandpas and Grandmas

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between Grandmothers and Grandfathers? Well, here it is:

There was this loving grandfather who always made a special effort to spend time with his son's family on weekends. Every Saturday morning he would take his 5-year-old granddaughter out for a drive in the car for some quality time -- pancakes, ice cream, candy-- just him and his granddaughter.

One particular Saturday, however, he had a terrible cold and could not get out of bed. He knew his granddaughter always looked forward to their drives and would be very disappointed. Luckily, his wife came to the rescue and said that she would take their granddaughter for her weekly drive and breakfast.

When they returned, the little girl anxiously ran upstairs to see her grandfather who was still in bed. "Well, did you enjoy your ride with Grandma?" he asked.

"Not really, Grandpa. It was boring. We didn't see a single asshole, queer, piece of shit, horse's ass, socialist left wing Obama-lover, blind bastard, dip shit, Muslim camel-humper, peckerhead or son-of-a-bitch anywhere we went. We just drove around and Grandma smiled at everyone she saw. I really didn't have any fun."

Thanks and a tip o' the toque to seldom-heard-from Agent 2.

True laws (à la National Lampoon)

Remember National Lampoon, "The Humor Magazine for Adults"? In its heyday, from the beginning in 1970 through the mid-1980s, it had some excellent writing -- humour in a jugular vein [That was MAD. Ed.] -- by such fine funny fellows as Chris Beard, Doug Kenney, and the inimitable P.J. O'Rourke (my favourite).

Regular features included Letters from the Editor, Funny Pages (excellent comix by the likes of Charles Rodrigues, B.K. Taylor and Shary Flenniken), Photo Phunnies, and another of my favourites, the True Section. The True Section comprised True Facts and True Photos, real-life stuff proving that the truth is stranger than fiction. You couldn't make such stuff up!

Included in the True Facts, from time to time were examples, contributed by readers, of actual laws which were either badly written or just plain stupid in and of themselves. For example: In Massachusetts it is illegal for a goat to wear trousers.

I don't know if that's true now, or ever was true. In fact it doesn't come from the NatLamp True Section, but from a book by Leland Gregory called S Is For Stupid (Andrews McMeel, 2011). Mr Gregory says these are true (and stupid/funny) laws, and I'll take his word for it. They sure made me laugh!

Cats are forbidden to ride on public buses in Seattle if there is a dog already on board. Also, any dog weighing more than 25 pounds must pay the full adult fare.

No person shall knowingly keep or harbor at his house or her house within the city any woman of ill-repute, lewd character, or a common prostitute...other than wife, mother, or sister. (Ashland KY ordinance)

Burglars are prohibited from entering or leaving the scene of a crime by the front door. (Lincoln NE ordinance)

Whoever operates an automobile or motorcycle on any public way -- laid out under authority of law recklessly or while under the influence of liquor shall be punished. (Massachusetts state ordinance. The absence of a second em-dash would seem to impose on the motorist the duty of finding out at his peril whether certain highways had been laid our recklessly or while under the influence of liquor, before driving his car over them.)

No dog shall be in public without its master on a leash. (Belvedere CA ordinance)

In Alaska it is against the laws to disturb a grizzly bear in order to take its picture. (A crime with its own unique punishment?)

Speed upon country roads will be limited to 10 miles an hour unless the motorist sees a bailiff who does not appear to have had a drink in 30 days, then the driver will be permitted to make what he can. (??? El Dorado County CA law)

Mississippi common law states that every citizen has a right to shoot to kill if necessary when escorting a woman home from a quilting party and another man interferes and threatens to shoot him.

That's enough stupid/funny laws for one day. Ed. Anyone who collects National Lampoon magazines is recommended to search eBay this month. One of our assiduous readers has dozens of them on sale (by auction) at reasonable prices.

Can Muslims integrate into western societies? The French say NON!

"Face à l'islam, les Français s'inquiètent" - That's the unsurprising headline on a report in Le Journal du Dimanche (= Sunday Journal) on a recent survey conducted by pollsters IFOP (French Institute of Public Opinions). It means "Confronted by Islam, the French are getting worried." No kidding!

The IFOP poll showed that 61% of French people think that Islamism is "incompatible with the values of French society." That's a rise of 8% over the number who thought that when asked in 2018. The polling firm was investigating the "worrying" rise and influence of Islamism in France, and its manifestations in many aspects of public life, particularly in the public display of such symbols of Islam as the wearing of the niqab (veil) and burqa (complete head-to-toe body covering). (If you're not sure of the difference, click here for Walt's explanation.)

Another manifestation of the Islamization of France (and all of western Europe) is the increasing number of schools where Islam, including the law of Sharia, is taught. According to the IFOP survey, 80% of pensioners, 69% of workers, 70% of employers, and even 55% of left-wing voters expressed concern about this. According to another IFOP survey, nearly half (46%) of foreign-born Muslim immigrants want France to replace its legal system with Sharia law. That point of view is supported by 18% of Islamists born in France.

On this and other questions on the accommodation of Muslims, the poll noted a strong difference of opinion between between left and right. About 55% of the supporters of the leftist group France Insumisa and the Socialist Party defended Muslim worship, while 85% of the supporters of Marine Le Pen's National Rally agreed with the statement that "Islamism is incompatible with the values of French society."

The survey results add to those compiled last month by international global consulting firm IPSOS, which revealed that 60% of French people saw as a threat the already massive but still growing number of immigrants arriving as a result of President Emmanuel Macron's open border policy. "More than one in two French (60%) see migrants as a threat," the survey data said, and 65% "think that welcoming them will not improve the country's situation. 45% of French people think that "the arrival of migrants deprives French people of social services," it added, noting that "the idea that French people should be given priority in the allocation of jobs has increased in France over the past three years."

The people of France seem pretty clued in about the threat to their society posed by the influx of alien immigrants and "refugees". The people of Québec have also figured it out. See "Québec to require immigrant wannabes to pass values test", WWW 31/10/19. Whether the realization comes too late to keep the Muslim tails from wagging the French and Québécois dogs doesn't bear thinking about. President Trump has moved to stop or at least limit Muslim immigration. Canada's Islamophile Prime Minister? Hah!

American Hero!

This excellent meme and the accompanying story were made up by the drollsters at the Babylon Bee, which is on Walt's daily reading list. Their headline is:

Media Scrambles To Fact-Check Image Of Trump

Riding Hero DogInto Massive Space Battle

The story is that the hair of the never-Trumpers at the New York Times, WaPo and CNN was set on fire by the meme, supposed tweeted by Still-President Trump, and went into a frenzy of fact-checking to portray Mr Trump as a liar and braggart yada yada yada. I don't want to reprint the whole article, but have to share this excerpt.

"Looks like we've got a live one, boys," said one editor [of the Times]. "Err--I mean, non-gender-conforming persons. Let's fact-check this puppy." An army of fact-checkers then got to work, running the image through advanced fact-checking software.... Sure enough, many of the pixels seemed not to line up quite right, plus fact-checkers discovered that several elements of the image were entirely fictional.

"The presence of a Cylon Basestar in the image casts doubt on its authenticity right away," said Bart Tucker, head fact-checker at the Washington Post. "We were also able to trace the image of the sandworm to the cover of Avalon Hill's 1979 board game Dune, so we can discredit that element of the space battle in any case."

Further historical research suggested that nearly every element of the picture was fake, from TIE fighters and the Death Star to the looming Borg Cube. "This president is trying to mislead the people with this meme," said a CNN spokesperson. "We are only OK with politicians who mislead people with regards to the effects of their healthcare policies or their Native American heritage, not presidents who tell jokes and have fun."

Thanks sooo much to the folks at the Bee for brightening our Blue Monday and setting the proper tone of skepticism for this week's lamestream media reports on the impeachment witchhunt.

What became of Tom Paine's body? Walt tells the story

Billy Bedammed, from Teaticket MA, asks: "Mr Walt, I have a stamp in my collection showing a man with a big nose named Thomas Paine. Which president was he?"

[Walt chuckles.] I'm afraid your friend loses, Billy. That man was no president. He was Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain, aka Tom Paine) an English-born American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary. He authored Common Sense and The Rights of Man, the two most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, and inspired the patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Great Britain. His ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of transnational human rights.

Sadly, Thomas Paine died reviled and nearly friendless, in large part because of his ultra-liberal ideas. Only six people attended his funeral. However, one of his harshest critics, an English pamphleteer named William Cobbett, had a change of heart after seeing the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the poor. Mr Cobbett became a radical reform, inveighing against monied interests and monarchical privileges. In 1817, after serving two years in prison for sedition, he fled to the land of the free, as the USA then was.

Soon after his arrival, William Cobbett visited the grave of his hero in New Rochelle NY. He was outraged at how poorly the grave was being maintained, writing "Paine lies in a little hole under the grass and weeds of an obscure farm in America." He made it his mission to remove Paine's earthly remains to England, where he thought they could be properly venerated, with a monument which would be a rallying place for the poor and downtrodden.

Getting Tom Paine's body was easy enough. Cobbett dug it up in the dark of night and shipped the corpse to Ole Blighty. Unfortunately, he lacked the money needed for the elaborate funeral he had planned, let alone a decent mausoleum. What to do?! He decided to take the relic on a tour of Britain, expecting that thousands of people would pay to see it. He was wrong. No-one came to Cobbett's "bone rallies". Eventually he was reduced to selling locks of Paine's hair. Wrong again.

William Cobbett was forced to realize that nobody in England gave even one piece of excrement about Thomas Paine. Reluctantly, he shelved his plans, and shelved Paine's earthly remains under his bed, where they stayed until Cobbett's death in 1835. The estate, including what was left of Tom Paine, passed to Cobbett's son. When he was arrested for debt, all his possessions, including poor Tom's skeleton, were seized for auction. However, a judge ruled that the skeleton was not a marketable asset, and ordered it returned to the younger Cobbett. What happened to it after that remains a mystery.

Credit where credit is due Dept.: This story was adapted from A Treasury of Great American Scandals, by Michael Farquhar, Penguin 2003.